


Dating Games; Blind Date Edition

by Durrr07



Series: Zutara Month [2020] [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, F/M, Fake Dating, Fluff, Friends references, Zutara Month 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25625617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Durrr07/pseuds/Durrr07
Summary: Tired of their friends lame single lives, the gang sets up Zuko and Katara on different blind dates.And it does not go well.Zutara Month Day 10: Fake Dating
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Month [2020] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621741
Comments: 3
Kudos: 87





	Dating Games; Blind Date Edition

“Girl do I have the PERFECT guy for you!” Suki screeches, her voice straining with excitement as she sits on the couch next to Katara.

Katara, settled between Suki and Toph and hoarding the popcorn, rolls her eyes. “Not again Suki. I said I didn’t want to date for a while and I meant it.”

“Ah, ah, ah! I believe you said ‘I’m gonna kill that asshole’ before giving Jet a beautiful, bloody broken nose.” Toph pipes in.

“And that was forever ago Kat.” Suki adds. 

Katara, rolling her eyes once again, can feel herself losing this one. “Guys, I really don’t want another blind date. Please just give me some more time.”

“Why? So you can sit here on a Saturday night watching a documentary about peace treaties like a loser?” Toph says.

Katara whips her head to the right and glares at her. “You guys are sitting here with me! How is this lame?!”

“You’re the one who planned this and invited us! And Suki dragged me because she pities your sad and lonely plans so ha!” Toph is triumphant in the squabble.

Katara huffs and drags her view back to Suki who is overly gushing with her phone in hand. Displayed is an image of a guy with short brown hair, light green eyes, and an adorable smile hosting adorable dimples with patches of freckles dusting his cheeks. He looks younger than Katara and she notes his and Suki’s mutual friends.

“He’s related to Ty Lee?”

Suki nods. “Her cousin.”

“How old is he? Looks like he just graduated.” Katara comments.

“He looks young but he’s 22.”

“Suki, I appreciate you trying but I really, really---““Sugar Queen—“ Toph interrupts. “You need to get back out there. For all of us alright? Cause when you don’t have a bashful beau to bother with, you over-mother the rest of us. You need this.” Toph says strangely sincere. It’s enough to make Katara cave in. Her shoulders droop down and she groans.

“Fine! One date Suki. ONE!” She agrees. Suki yelps with excitement and high fives Toph.

\--------

“No.”

“Zuko c’mon—”

“No.”

“Zuko I swear she’s--”

“No Sokka.”

“But won’t you just look through---“

“NO!”

Aang sighs with irritation as his teammates argue. The game flickering on screen is supposed to be a two player and Aang is currently faced with Zuko. But they keep losing because Sokka is really bugging Zuko about some girl he wants him to go on a date with. _Pft, yeah right._

“You won’t even look at her face Zuko! Come on man, she’s hot!” Sokka holds his phone out in front of Zuko’s eye line and effectively blocking the television.

“Not interested Sokka now drop it.” Zuko says, dodging left and right to see where his game avatar is veering into a wall.

Sokka sits with that answer for a moment, thinks it over, then turns off the video game console. He is met with bursts of protests from the other two.

“Look man, you need to get back out there. I know, I get it. Mai dumped you for some loser hot shot last year and since then you’ve just thrown yourself into work and school, but you gotta do this for you okay?” Zuko rolls his eyes as Sokka continues his theatrical monologue. “Seriously Zuko. You’ll never find ‘Mrs. Right’ hiding behind the counter at your Uncle’s tea shop and you sure as hell won’t even see her if you’re nose is stuck in your fancy business school books.”

“But I’m not looking for ‘Ms. Right’ Sokka. I need to focus and just graduate so I can start my practice. I’ll leave the love life for after all of that.” He understands Sokka’s concern but has no interest in looking for anyone right now. He is completely content with how life is currently lined up.

“Aang, back me up here.” Sokka looks for reassurance.

Aang, ever the peace keeper, turns to Zuko. 

“I don’t want to tell you how to live your life Zuko, but maybe Sokka has a point.” Zuko’s eyes turn to slits in a glare and Aang’s hands go up in defense. “I’m just saying, maybe getting out for one night won’t be so bad. All you have to do to get Sokka to stop this nonsense is to go out on one date. Best case scenario, you have fun. Worst case, you have a bad date and get to wail on Sokka.” 

Zuko sports a wicked grin as he turns his head back to Sokka, whose face drops in return. “Hey! That’s not a part of the plan!”

Zuko tilts his head to rests his finger to his chin. Ten seconds of silence and then he stands up from the couch.

“I go on one date, ONE, and if I have a rotten time then I get to wail you in training next week.” Zuko holds out his hand for Sokka to shake, but the latter hesitates.

“What do I get if you have fun?”

“I’ll do your laundry for two weeks.”

“Deal!” And they shake hands to seal it.

\--------

The week passes by quickly as per usual and Katara finds herself at the corner of Mason and Rochester waiting for a guy by the name of Ruuh. She is a few minutes early, typical for her, and she’s giggling at something on her phone to pass the time.

The digital clock on her screen reads 6:57 pm.

\--------

Zuko arrives at the location that Sokka sent him. It’s a retro style coffee shop filled with a variety of customers and smells like fresh fruit pastries. He’s looking for a woman wearing ‘something green’ as Sokka detailed so nicely for him. He searches the crowd but can’t seem to see anyone wearing any noticeable green hues. So he leans by the door and waits.

\--------

 _‘I am going to murder Suki.’_ Katara thinks as she pulls her coat off before planting herself at the table her and Ruuh were shown. The host actually had the gall to ask if they would be needing a kid’s menu. It could have been a joke or it could have been the painfully obvious fact that Ruuh looks like a fourteen-year-old boy, even younger than Aang. But he has already shown Katara his ID, proof she needed to even continue the date.

He is twenty-two, just like Suki said. But somehow his boyish face shape and big round glasses form the illusion of a much younger age, one Katara doesn’t quite feel comfortable dating. But Katara is nice and she won’t bail on a simple little hiccup. She’s going to follow through with the date, pay for her meal so it’s fair and then probably decline a second date at the end of the night.

“Thanks for this Katara. I really appreciate you coming out with me.” He sheepilsy tells her, a blush forming on his cheeks. 

“No worries Ruuh. Thanks for asking.” She replies with a tight smile. At least he’s polite.

“Yeah, I never thought I could bag a hot chick like you. I can’t wait to throw it in my dad’s face.”

Her smile falls to the table.

\--------

It’s 7:23 and still no green wearing gal. Zuko is reaching the limit of his patience so instead of assuming the worst, he goes to the counter and orders a latte and finds a seat by the windows. Maybe she’s running late, maybe she got stuck in traffic, maybe an emergency came up. Zuko tries not to focus on the other possibilities; like maybe she bailed, maybe she flaked, or maybe she came in and saw my face and left.

He scowls into his foam. He opens his text app and starts a message.

\--------

“Seriously Suki, I am going to fucking murder you.”

“What happened?! Why am I in trouble?”

“Oh let me enlighten you. He took a photo of me without asking and sent it to his roommates to brag about my boobs! Oh and not to mention him dropping weird and gross comments all throughout the appetizers special.”

She hears snickering on the other end.

“DON’T YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME RIGHT NOW! YOU TWO ASSHOLES ARE THE ONLY REASON I’M HERE!”

Toph is busting a gut and Suki is gasping for breath.

“Okay—okay. You’re right Katara. I’m sorry. I was under the impression that he was completely normal.”

“You’d better be sorry. You’re going to call me in five minutes to fake an emergency so I can leave.”

“Oh come on Katara,” she hears Toph shouting, “don’t do that to the poor kid. At least be honest with him.” 

“Oh I really don’t want to hear anything from you about honesty. Suki, call in 3 minutes or I tell Sokka about the pick up truck.”

That shuts her up super quick.

“Done.”

“Goodbye.” Katara smacks her ‘end call’ button and walks out of the bathroom.

\--------

7:53 PM and Zuko is officially done. He sips the last of his coffee before getting up to exit the shop. No girl in a green anything has walked by or into the place in the hour he has been sitting there and he’s a little annoyed. Sure, this was all a complete rouse for Sokka to get him out on a date for once but with a no-show, Sokka’s persistence may just ramp up.

Zuko shrugs it off as a win-win. Sure, no one showed up which makes things a lot easier but now he gets to kick Sokka’s ass in the gym next week.

\--------

“I am so, so sorry miss! Let me grab a towel.” The waitress says to Katara as her dress drips ice cold water drops to the floor. Her mouth is agape, every patron is staring at her, and Ruuh’s eyes are nearly popped out of his skull.

It had been a complete accident of course. Another customer was moving their chair out to get up right as the waitress was walking by with six glasses of water. The chair pushed into her leg, she veered off to the right and dropped the glasses right over Katara’s head, thoroughly soaking her from head to toe.  
So here she stands, red as a beet with embarrassment while she waits for a towel and her date has yet to move his eyes away from her breasts which are probably completely visible to everyone. She claws for her jacket as her phone begins vibrating on the table. The waitress returns accompanied with the manager who has towels to help her dry off with. Ruuh hasn’t moved an inch, his pupils still pointing at her now covered chest. The manager apologizes and offers to cover the check and Katara thanks them with a forced smile. The two workers leave and she turns back to her date, who is still staring at her like a rack of lamb.

She snaps her fingers in his face, breaking his concentration and shrieks, “my eyes ARE UP HERE!”

Ruuh blinks back at her and grabbles with what to say next.

Katara doesn’t hesitate with a reply. “Thank you for this horrendously interesting dinner. Delete the picture of my chest and please lose my number.”

She grabs her clutch, throws on her jacket and makes her way out the door.

\--------

By 10 PM, Zuko is at home looking through the television channels. Sokka is gone for the weekend and Aang has been staying at Toph’s more recently. He finally lands on a movie to watch when the shower squeaks to a halt. A few more minutes pass and he hears the bathroom door open.

“Feel better?” He asks aloud as the couch cushions dip next to him.

“Much better.” Katara replies as she lays into his side, his arms wrapping around her instinctively. He drops a kiss to her temple. 

“Good. Did you talk to Ty Lee or am I breaking this kids face tomorrow?”

Katara laughs. “I talked to her. She deleted the picture herself after scolding him. No need to go all big, bad Zuko. But I do appreciate the gesture.” She says, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

He pulls her closer as they sit in silence, soaking up the low white noise from the tv.

“You know they’re going to try this again.” Katara mumbles against his collarbone.

“Yes they will.” He agrees.

“And I am not doing this again. It may not have been obvious but I was ecstatic to hear your date never showed. I was seething thinking of you being on a date with another girl.” Katara turns to look at him.

He smirks. “Oh it wasn’t obvious? You could have fooled me when you jumped into my arms soaking wet about half an hour ago.” She rolls her eyes. “And I wasn’t exactly jazzed to know you were out on a date with Ty Lee’s cousin. I was irritated all evening.” He pulls her closer and she lets him kiss her.

“Oh I bet you were.”

“I was Kat.” He holds her hands in his.

“So why are we doing this? Why are still we putting on this act? We could have easily gotten out of tonight’s nightmare by just telling them the truth.” She traces his palms with her fingers moving in gentle circles.

“Because we agreed that our relationship is better in the bubble. You remember the immense teasing we got last year after Jin.” Katara huffed in response.“But I’m okay with breaking the seal if you are.” He turns to look at her, his eyes glistening from the picture on the screen.

She mulls it over animatedly with a finger to her chin, shaking her head back in forth. He chuckles at her antics.

She gives him that smile, that gorgeous smile he knows he will never, ever get tired of. “I agree. Let’s rip off the band aid and just tell them.” She leans up and he leans down to press their lips together.

“But,” he starts the second she pulls back, “we have to do it after I pummel Sokka next week.”

“Because when he finds out you’ve been secretly dating me for months he’s going to try and beat you up right?” She pieces together.He taps her nose. “Exactly.”

She giggles and adjusts back into his arms, their attention going back to the screen and whatever romantic comedy is plaguing their entertainment for the rest of the evening.

**Author's Note:**

> Haaaaa! Totally nabbed this idea from Friends.  
> Please accept my horridly late Zutara Month edition piece.


End file.
